READY FOR THE START
"Just our beastly luck!" gasped Jack, turning white with apprehension.
"Wait, we haven't any proof as yet," advised Tom. "The Major himself
admits that he's only afraid it may have been Beverly's hangar. Hasn't
anything been done to learn the truth, sir?"
"Oh, yes," came the quick reply. "A number of cars have gone down that
way, but the road's in a shocking condition, and up to now none of them
has returned to advise us. I'd be very sorry if it turned out as I fear,
doubly so if Beverly himself were injured or killed, because I'm fond of
the chap, don't you know."
"Let's hope everything is all right," said Tom, as composedly as
possible. "And first of all I'd like to get through the business part of
our errand here. I have the packet to deliver for our general. Then the
machine must be turned over to a representative of our Government here.
After all that's attended to we'll strike out for the Beverly hangar."
"I'll be pleased to take you there personally, if you like," remarked
Major Denning.
"And we'll accept your offer with thanks, sir. It is very kind of you,"
said Tom, at the same time wondering what the other would say when he
made the astounding discovery that the object of the expedition was even
more ambitious than a mere flight to Berlin and back; that indeed the
daring adventurers meant to attempt a record voyage across the Atlantic
by air such as would vie with that of Columbus.
Jack fell into a fever of suspense again, and counted the minutes that
must be consumed in carrying out the business in hand. Tom was
exceedingly scrupulous concerning this.
"The general was kind enough to give us a good push on our way here," he
told Jack, when the latter continued to fret and hint about "cutting off
corners" in order to hasten their getting away. "We're bound to do our
part of the job right up to the handle. Besides, what do ten or twenty
minutes amount to?"
When Tom announced himself satisfied night had settled on the land.
Dunkirk had for long been annoyed by the fire of a long-range
monster gun, shells dropping into the city at stated intervals for
weeks at a time.
So, too, hostile airplanes had hovered over the Channel port, trying to
make it unpleasant for the British Tommies in camp near by. But since
Marshal Foch opened operations on a large scale, together with the
furious drive of General Pershing's army, this had altogether ceased.
Major Denning had a car at their disposal.
"It will take us to a place where we can leave the road and follow a
path to the beach," he told them. "Beverly has quite a force of men
there looking after things, which fact makes me hope nothing could have
happened to injure or destroy that wonderful bomber. But we've been
pestered to death with Hun bounders playing spy, and I'd put nothing
past them."
They set out, and were soon on the way. Major Denning had a man at the
wheel, evidently his chauffeur, for he was a British private. He knew the
road, and managed to steer clear of the obstructions that continually
cropped up.
"Seems to me those Hun pilots must have dropped most of their bombs out
this way, instead of hitting the town or the camps," Tom suggested, as
they dodged to and fro, and often suffered severe bouncings.
"No man-power to make any road repairs, in the bargain," explained the
officer. "Since the drive has been on we are sending every British
battalion we can muster forward. These things can wait until the German
is licked, which we all believe is coming shortly, with Marshall Haig and
General Pershing and General Petain on the job."
"Wow! what's that mean?" cried Jack, half jumping up as the sound of
several shots not far away came distinctly to their ears.
"Did those shots seem to be over yonder to the right?" asked the major.
"So far as I was able to judge that's where they came from," Tom replied.
"Does the hangar lie in that quarter, sir?"
"Just what it does! There's certainly something strange going on around
there to-night. But we'll quickly learn for ourselves, because the spot
where we leave the road is just ahead of us."
Jack was the first out; indeed the car had not wholly come to a stand
before he made a flying jump. Leaving the chauffeur to watch the car, the
major soon found the trail. He carried a small hand electric torch with
him, a vest-pocket size, but at least with a ray sufficiently strong to
dissipate the gloom under the brush and to show them what seemed to be a
well defined trail.
"We may find ourselves made a target by some of his wideawake guards.
That they are on the alert those shots we heard a bit ago seem to
testify," suggested Major Denning.
"Oh, we'll use the signal whistle; and I feel sure Lieutenant Beverly
himself will be listening to catch it, for he expects us any minute now."
"We're getting close enough just now to exercise due caution, at any
rate," the guide answered in a whisper.
Taking the hint, Tom commenced giving the signal. It was a short sharp
whistle, four times repeated. Hardly had Tom sounded this than they heard
an answer.
"Fine!" exclaimed Jack. "He's here on deck, and perhaps everything may be
all right yet."
They continued along the path, and Tom repeated his whistling. Finally
the figure of a man loomed up beyond.
"That you, Tom, Jack?" came a voice.
"Hello, Beverly!" Jack burst out impulsively. "We've come all the way by
air. What's going on around here; nothing serious happened, I hope?"
"Rest easy on that score, boys," the other replied, still advancing.
"Then the machine is still ready for business, is it?" cried Jack.
"In apple-pie order, down to the last drop of juice, and ready to do the
builders proud. But I'm mighty glad to see you, boys, I surely am. Afraid
there'd be some hitch at the last minute from your end."
"And," said Tom, wringing the other's hand, "Jack has been picturing all
sorts of terrible things happening to you and the plane here, near
Dunkirk. He's as happy as a clam at high tide right now, I assure you."
"You bet I am!" Jack cried explosively, gripping the fingers of the
lieutenant with great enthusiasm.
"Why, hello! who's this but my English cousin, Major Denning?" cried
Beverly, discovering that his two chums were not alone.
"Thought it best to steer them to you, and take no chances of a miss,"
explained the officer. "Besides, to tell you the truth, I fancied seeing
you start off on your long contemplated trip to wake up Berlin. Once I
was in hopes I might even have the opportunity of accompanying you. I've
a score to settle with the beast for knocking a hole in my London house
and frightening my aunt almost into fits. At least you'll let me wish you
_bon voyage_, Beverly."
Tom said nothing. He realized that the major had no inkling of the real
purpose of the flight about to be undertaken; and if he was to be told
the facts the information must come from Lieutenant Beverly himself.
"Oh! By the way, that Berlin trip will have to wait," chuckled the
lieutenant, making up his mind that a clean breast of the whole matter
must follow. "Fact is, Major, we're after larger game than that would
prove to be; something calculated to stagger you a bit, I think."
"You're certainly puzzling me by what you say, Colin," declared the
major, betraying a growing curiosity in voice and manner. "I'd like to
know for a fact what you could call larger game than a non-stop flight to
Berlin and back, starting from the Channel here. Are you planning a trip
to the moon, after Jules Verne's yarn?"
"No. But something that has as yet never been attempted," came the steady
reply. "It is a flight across the Atlantic to America in the big bomber
plane, and starting this very night!"